Coordinator’s Column

Hello Gardeners,

The Statewide Master Gardener Program has exciting news about our Garden Future Across Oregon. We received a grant to educate gardeners about upcoming changes and challenges we are facing in our gardens. Each region across the state is experiencing different impacts of the changing weather on their garden beds.

Step one for us Master Gardener Coordinators is collecting stories and data about what is happening in your gardens. At the Joy of Gardening conference, we got some input from gardeners across the state. Many gardeners are having to use shade cloths, wind barriers, water conservation techniques, and change their planting times to keep their gardens successful. You can join the conversation by signing up for the Garden Future mailing list https://beav.es/q9t and filling out the survey on what changes you see in your garden https://extension.oregonstate.edu/garden-future. We hope to get more survey participation across the state from non-MGs at tabling events, educational classes, and the plant clinics.

The next steps for the statewide team include putting together an educational module for you volunteers to learn about how our climate and gardens are changing. This module will include regional information for gardeners across the state. We are also assembling resources and teaching kits for volunteers to share with their local communities. Handouts for tabling events and class teaching kits will be developed based on the needs we see from the above survey. Currently, a drip irrigation kit like the one I borrowed from Klamath County will be our first kit to expand upon.

Happy gardening and stay tuned for more upcoming information!